If you have a flight simulator, I have a challenge for you. Over on the Clayviation YouTube channel, we’ve just finished up a series entitled “Bucket List Flights: Flying To Oshkosh.” Over the course of five flight legs, we have used X-Plane 11 to travel...

For a pilot in training, adding a home simulator setup is an easy and cost effective way to study and practice various aspects of aviation. With technology where it is today, it doesn't take investing a fortune to get up and running with a sim. ...

“Let go of the controls and see what happens.” For an eager student pilot looking to learn to control the airplane, most of the tasks of even basic airplane control seem like hard work. There’s so much to think about, and constant corrections and control...

I recently created a poll for a group of flight simmers who use X-Plane 11 (my simulator of choice and currently the latest version of X-Plane). I asked them to choose a statement that best describes the reason they use X-Plane. I received 320 responses to...

In the world of flight simming, there are two main approaches that I've seen people take. There is the gaming side, which encompasses the enjoyment of flying various airplanes, along with online multiplayer sessions and virtual airlines, just to scratch...

One of my first flights was at night. I was a passenger in a Cessna 172 on a hop up to Chattanooga. The pilot was my friend and future instructor. I was still a little uneasy about flying - something that a few hours of flight training helped to take away....

It's a common practice for a checkride examiner to try to distract the pilot applicant. Ah yes, the old "drop the pen" trick. Here's how it goes. You're a student pilot taking your checkride to become a certificated pilot. In the right seat, your examiner...

If I were, for some reason, unable to ever fly again, I'd still have the simulator. It may not be not the real thing, but it's a passion and an experience in itself. And I guess I could still go for a hundred dollar hamburger. I'd load up thr...

I usually love to read manuals, but not GPS manuals. I find them to be a better reference after you figure out some of the basics rather than a guide to learn the GPS from scratch. Sometimes I look for quick reference guides and I end up...

You’ve just finished washing your hands as you step over and wave them in front of the paper towel dispenser. It remains motionless. You wave again, but nothing happens. Maybe tap on it? That didn't work. Ok, now you step back, walk forward again and try different...

"Hey Siri, set a timer for 14 minutes." Out of all the high tech stuff that can be done today, I'm always the most amused that when I put my eggs on to boil every morning, I can speak that statement out loud and then my phone, which is across the room, responds with,...

Nowadays, I drink my coffee without any sugar in it. A little cream and I'm good to go. That wasn't always the case, though. I'm not sure the age that most folks start drinking coffee, but I remember a coffee experience as far back as 7th grade. I was on a mission...

I'm happy to say that I've never landed with my gear up. Of course that's not surprising considering that that I've only flown fixed gear aircraft up to this point. The closest I've been was a simulated experience. After completing the oral portion of a flight review...

I remember being told that the airplane was equipped with a 28 volt, direct current, alternator driven electrical system. "Is that good?" I thought, as a student pilot without a background in mechanical stuff. It could have been a 1.21 gigawatts electrical system and...

I'm not certain what peaked my interest in gliders, but I'm thinking it was a flight simulator. I'm fascinated by the simplicity of it. Not that it's easy. Or simple, actually. Being a great glider pilot takes a lot of work. But the systems in the glider are very...

I had just dropped my wife off at the Cherokee County Airport (KCNI), north of Atlanta, on our way back from Tennessee. We had flown to Nashville for an overnight trip to surprise her mom for her birthday (read the blog here). Having been at a conference in Atlanta,...

We called it the south practice area. Flying over open fields and farmland in Georgia's lake country was a good place to practice. There are plenty of emergency landing fields, few populated areas and little terrain. It's quiet airspace, too. I'll never forget my...

Basic chair flying can be done anywhere. You could be actually sitting in a chair, if you like it literal, reading through a checklist and visualizing the steps. Or maybe you walk around outside with a chalk runway on the ground, checklist in hand, talking through...

In my house, there are not many requests as wholesome as "dad, can I play flight simulator?" A request for a second helping of vegetables might compete, but as a lifelong avgeek, X-Plane is screen time for my 8 year old, Reid, that I can get behind. I recently...

My first experience with a flight simulator was as a kid. It was Chuck Yeager's Advanced Flight Trainer, sometime in the early 90's. At the time, I was in awe of my big brother's friend who had the computer and joystick. That experience with a flight simulator as a...

We are in the air and on the way to Shelbyville! In part one and part two of our three part flight simulator cross country series, we started up our Cessna 172 in Smyrna (KMQY), just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. We listened to the weather, taxied to the runway,...

In our last Clayviation YouTube session, we began a multi-part series showing each phase of a short cross country flight. We began in Smyrna, Tennessee, just outside of Nashville, and started up the engine. This week, we are going to show the taxi, engine run up and...

I sat in the cockpit, looking over the engine cowling, watching the mechanic as he worked his magic. "Okay try it now," he called, stepping away from the airplane. I ran through the checklist. "Mixture rich, carb heat cold, throttle open a quarter inch." I finished...

Most conversations I have that involve mentioning being a pilot inevitably turn towards the airlines. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing but respect for airline pilots, but thinking that the only facet of aviation are the airlines is like thinking that the only flavor...

This week, the Stuck Mic Avcast invited me on the podcast to discuss aviation and the future of Clayviation. The recording will be available for your listening pleasure on October 1, 2016 through your favorite podcast app or at stuckmicavcast.com. While the blog is...

This week, you'll find the Clayviation blog as the feature blog over at Hangar.Flights, a rapidly growing online resource for pilots including blogs, stories, discussions, and videos. They also have a very cool Instagram. Hangar.Flights and Clayviation share core...

Whether you are a seasoned pilot, learning to fly or just curious, Clayviation is about taking a very complicated discipline and making it easy to understand. Follow along on flights and learn different aviation concepts and disciplines. Join the mailing list for...